Analysis #1

Longinus- “On Sublimity” Analysis #1

A Longinus style analysis of the above youtube video would suggest the following: 

To start: The video contains 4 layers which create an overall effect of the sublime. Those layers are as follows: 

1)     1)  Stock footage from a police department and school films. They convey social messages of conformity/social mores one should follow, such as: “Do not accept rides from strangers,” “Remember the policeman is always your friend,” “Be Polite,” “Be considerate of others,” “Obey the rules of the Game,” and “be a good loser.” These Images create an ironic display of expected social mores which are learned in youth under the pretense of “we all follow these rules and they lead to safety.”

2)    2)  Images of a singular young boy playing ball, interacting with a mother and father, enjoying a day at the beach, ECT. These images create a feeling of innocence which leads the Audience to question: What makes some innocent young children turn into murders?”

Note: The last image of the video is of the singular young boy (presumed to depict John Wayne Gacy) kissing a man.

3)     3)  Images of groups of boys playing on jungle Gyms, playing basketball, or waiting at bus stops. The groups of boys are always watched by either the Audience, or an older gentleman who always succeeds in giving one of the boys a ride/taking him away. These images are supposed to depict the “hunting” style activities that John Wayne Gacy Jr. participated in, in order to attain his victims.

4)      4) The song “John Wayne Gacy Jr.” by Sufjan Stevens. The lyrics present the listener with a haunting melody and quite disturbing lyrics pertaining to the story of John Wayne Gacy Jr. The song touches on the following points of interest: John Wayne Gacy Jr’s father was a violent alcoholic;  JWGJ was extremely close with his mother; a swing set accident, occurring in JWGJ youth, formed a blood clot in his brain which resulted in blackouts, psychological damage, and severe headaches later in his life; As an adult JWGJ was well liked within his community for being a friendly and well involved member of his town (later the some 10,000 members of his town felt horribly tricked); He kept his victims in a crawlspace under his house; JWG is presumed to have killed 27 young boys; Before sexually assaulting his victims and then murdering them; JWGJ would stifle their screams and strength with a chloroform soaked rag; He dressed up as a clown for fun and for birthday parties.

                Sufjan Stevens ends his song with the following haunting lyrical statement: “In my best behavior, I am really just like him, Look beneath the floor boards for the secrets I have hid.” These words seem to suggest that we are all in a way like JWGJ in the idea that we were once innocent and now, as adults, keep horrible secrets or urges from the world.     

          Grand discourse produces sublimity and thus is preferred over rhetorical persuasion. Persuasion is a form of control on the part of the rhetorician and in essence is an attempt to control the audience whereas the amazement and wonder produced by sublime discourse is an uncontrolled response. The above video is not trying to persuade it’s audience, rather it is presenting an avenue of discourse which is both haunting and amazing. This is not to say that grandeur on the part of the producer is an altogether natural and easily applicable thing. It is best accompanied by knowledge so as to curb ignorance and impulsive language. That is to say that discourse without the backing of knowledge can be falsely grand and produce a vain and hollow notion of sublimity. The song, while emotionally indescribable, was not disassociated from fact. I.E. The lyrics contained actual knowledge about JWGJ and his case.  Sublime works are riddled with avenues for reflection and thus maintain their sublimity because the works greatness is not lost after one passing. Personally, I find that the more I watch and listen to this video the more deeply it affects me.

5 source of sublimity: (all sources must be backed by competency)-All sources are found within Sufjan Steven’s video.

1)   1)   Power to conceive great thoughts: “sublimity is the echo of a noble mind” (139). “Words will be great if thoughts are weighty” (139). Intelligence, Selection and organization of material or creation of unity, polishing/editing,

2)     2)  Strong and inspired emotion: Amplification (commonplaces, exaggeration, intensification and build-up or strength imposed by dwelling on the subject), inspiration/imitation of great writers, words create a visual response I.E. the emotional language allows the writer and audience to see what is imagined

3)     3)  Figures of speech and thought: words or phrases that diverge from their original meaning I.E. metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and personification. Best when used in such a fashion as to not immediately reveal its artifice. That is to say the figures create an elevated state of emotion rather than thoughts of trickery. Stylizes emotion

4)      4) Noble diction: choice of correct and magnificent words gives the power of charm and enticement to the producer. The art of diction (what separates genius from mediocrity) is the ability to know which words create an elevated form of thought in a given situation. “Grandeur is not divorced from service and utility” (151).

5)    5)   Dignified and elevated word arrangement: Harmony and Rhythm, use of grammar “The beauty of the body depends on the way in which the limbs are joined together” (153). 

Longinus. "On sublimity." The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism 2nd Ed.

        New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010.133-153. Print.